The Still of the Night
by Ellie Martineau
Summary: Your typical, cheesy, time-travel story. Piper travels back in time and meets up with the infamous Jack Kelly, getting a taste of the Newsie life.
1. Song in the Night

"And now I'm all alone again, nowhere to turn, no one to go to Without a home, without a friend, without a face to say 'hello' to And now the night is near Now I can make believe he's here  
  
Sometimes I walk alone at night when everyone else is sleeping I think of him and then I'm happy with the company I'm keeping The city goes to bed and I can live inside my head  
  
On my own Pretending he's beside me All alone, I walk with him till morning Without him, I feel his arms around me And when I lose my way I close my eyes and he has found me  
  
In the rain, the pavement shines like silver All the lights are misty in the river In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight And all I see is him and me forever and forever  
  
And I know It's only in my mind That I'm talking to myself and not to him And although I know that he is blind Still I say There's way for us.  
  
I love him But when the night is over, He is gone; the river's just a river Without him, the world around me changes The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of stranger  
  
I love him But every day I'm learning All my life, I've only been pretending Without me, his world will go on turning A world that's full of happiness that I have never known.  
  
I love him, I love him  
  
I love him.  
  
But only on my own."  
  
Jack Kelly listened as the voice around the corner faded away as softly and subtly as it had first risen. It was beautiful--so full of emotion; the haunting echo through the dusty street; flowing, deep and dark like twilight shining over the river. He smiled as he imagined the girl to whom the voice belonged. He was sure she was more beautiful than any other he had seen before; even Sarah Jacobs. 


	2. Confrontation and Memories

He slowly crept around the corner towards the place the voice had been. He had to see her. He had to see the face; the lips that had sung those beautiful words; the spirit behind that voice. He closed his eyes, the sound of it still a ghost in his memory.  
  
Jack opened his eyes once more as he heard her footsteps on the cobblestone street no longer. He looked up and saw her, suitcases at her sides, staring at the night sky.  
  
"Let me sleep, God!" She yelled at the stars with a haunting glee to her tone. She threw her arms out, extending her head to the sky, slowly spinning in circles as she spoke. "If this is just a dream, let me live it!" She laughed. Her voice was sweet, even when being thrown up into the nothingness of the sky, so loud it could wake the dead.  
  
Jack looked her up and down. He couldn't see her face as her back was again turned towards him. She was not what he had imagined; not the hair, not the clothes. She was different. But it struck him as the most beautiful thing his life had seen in its entirety.  
  
He knitted his brow and studied the girl. Her clothing was nothing he had seen before. It was of a different fashion than he had ever known. She was wearing a form-fitting black shirt that accentuated her every feminine curve; but in place of sleeves or a neckline were two thin straps, snugly at rest over her shoulders. Her skirt fell just below her knees; it was made of a dark, olive green that shimmered slightly underneath the dim city light. She was wearing no shoes; "how strange," he thought. "All dressed up like dat an' no shoes."  
  
He then studied her body: oddly short, playfully messed hair; dark, golden skin; her long, thin but toned limbs, especially those legs. "Will ya look at dem legs," Jack muttered underneath his breath.  
  
Suddenly the girl whipped around, apparently catching his presence. He stopped short, in awe at what he was seeing. She looked nothing like what he had imagined. Although her appearance was odd she was more beautiful than anyone could ever imagine.  
  
Her large, black eyes penetrated through his gaze as she casually strode up to him. For once, Jack Kelly stood, unable to move; unable to speak; not quite knowing how to react to what was in front of him.  
  
He looked at her small mouth as her pretty lips turned upwards into a brilliant, beautiful smile as she laughed out loud at Jack's reaction. He blinked. Once. Twice.  
  
"So do you talk? Move?" The girl mused, proud of what she had done to Jack.  
  
Jack stared at her blankly. "I.uh.I hoid ya singin' eoiliah.I jis'."  
  
"It's okay, I was kidding." The girl smiled again. "I'm Piper."  
  
"I'm.uh."  
  
"Jack Kelly?" She finished for him.  
  
"Y.yeah, how'd ya know?"  
  
"Your name's been tossed around here and there, ya know.you are the most famous newsie in Manhattan." Piper shrugged.  
  
Jack smirked, more quickly regaining his senses by the second. "Is dat true?"  
  
"I'm sure it is."  
  
"So, uh.what'a ya doin' out here in da middle a'da night like dis? You could get hoit. Ya ain't even wearin' shoes." Jack said, sneering inwardly.  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Piper said, smirking as if she had seen Jack's, and then smiling. "Besides, I don't have a place to stay anyway."  
  
"I can stick up f'myself. You're a goil." Jack said, without thinking.  
  
"I can drop anybody who comes near me to the ground." A smug Piper said smartly, her eyes giving a defensive flash that told Jack she wasn't just making that up.  
  
He stuck his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, I didn't mean nuthin' by it."  
  
She smiled gleefully, her eyes now bright. "I know, I was just giving you a hard time."  
  
Jack laughed.  
  
Piper laughed too, then suddenly became serious. "Jack, being that you just met me, do you get the impression that I'm too outgoing?"  
  
He replied without hesitation. "Naw, not any more dan me. B'sides, it makes me feel like I known ya fer yeahs."  
  
"Thanks, Jack."  
  
"Hey.you ain't got nowhere ta stay?"  
  
"Nuh-uh." Piper shrugged. "It's not a big deal, though. It's a nice night."  
  
"You ain't gonna spend any nights out'eah if I got anyt'in ta do wid it." Jack said, an edge of concern in his voice. "Even fer a tough goil like you, it's real dangerous."  
  
"Thanks, Jack. But what can be done about it at one in the morning?"  
  
"Plenty." He boasted, a smile spreading across his face. "I knows a place wheah you can stay, at least for tonight and tamorrow."  
  
"Let me guess.the lodging house?" Piper smiled.  
  
"Well.yeah, If dat's okay wid you." Jack replied, glancing over at Piper, who was now on her way to pick up her bags. He instantly realized that she could have been staying somewhere a lot better than a lodging house and he became somewhat ashamed that he couldn't give her nicer accommodations.  
  
Nevertheless, she smiled broadly at him in thanks. "It's better than the streets, if that's what you mean. Thank you. I really appreciate it.I'm sure I'll love it there."  
  
"It ain't no big deal," Jack said, smiling. "Ya want me ta help ya?"  
  
"Um, sure. If you really want to." She threw a large suitcase at Jack, and as he caught it from her hands he stumbled backwards, surprised at the weight.  
  
"Whaddaya got in dis thing?" he muttered.  
  
"Enough clothes for a month." Piper replied, smiling. "I was on my way to Europe, but somehow I got landed here."  
  
"What's a pretty goil like you goin' ta Europe all by her lonesome?" Jack laughed as Piper shot him a glare.  
  
"Actually, I was with an orchestra, and we were supposed to tour around Europe.apparently that won't be happening." She was rather disappointed that she couldn't go to Europe, since she had been waiting for the trip since seven months before. But strangely enough, she couldn't help but feel more than at home here, as they walked into the lodging house. She felt more at home than she did at her own home, with her family.  
  
Ugh, her family. Her father, and her stuck-up older sister. Her father was a stockbroker, made "enough in a week to feed the West Indies," and never let anyone walk away from him without being reminded of that. Her sister, who went to Yale, but came home to visit her "Daddy" frequently, acted like she had a bowling ball up her ass and was getting to be just like her father more and more as each day passed. Piper, on the other hand, was and always would be exactly like her mother. Happy with whatever it was that she had, content to live in her own dream world. Her father had been trying to get her back to reality ever since her mother had left him without a word and finally she was free to live again. She looked around the place and prayed to God that she could stay here for the rest of her life and just be happy. Not filthy rich, not bitched around by her prissy sister, not thrown back into reality by her father, not living in a fake world.  
  
"Pip." Jack said, touching her arm gently. "You okay? You'ah a bit spacey."  
  
Piper shook her head. Had he just called her 'Pip?' No one had called her that since her mother left. "No, I'm fine. Just a little tired."  
  
Jack took notice to how she reacted when he had nicknamed her. "Ey, you okay wid me callin' ya dat? I's jis' less formal dan Piper an' I ain't much inta formalities."  
  
"Yeah, I like it better too, it's just."  
  
"What?" He looked down on her curiously.  
  
"No one's called me that since my mother left us. She used to read Dickens to me every night, and nicknamed me 'Pip' after Thomas Pippin, the character in the 'Great Expectations'." Piper's voice wavered a bit as she recollected the times her mother had been around for her.  
  
"Oh." Jack said, dropping the subject that was obviously a little painful for her.  
  
He stopped and looked at her. "So how did ya get here, anyway?" He asked.  
  
Piper put a finger to his lips and replied, "Shh.just don't ask. Better left unsaid." 


	3. PreLunch Entertainment

He showed her up to the bunkroom in silence, finding an empty bunk for her. "You don't gotta pay tanight, Kloppman's pretty easy wid dat stuff. Jis' git ta sleep." He said, putting her suitcases next to the bed.  
  
"Is there anywhere I can change into my pajamas?"  
  
Jack pointed to the washroom. "I'll be right out'eah if ya need anyt'in'." He whispered as Piper walked into the washroom, suitcase in hand. She smiled at him and closed the door. Jack climbed up into his bunk, one over from the one Piper was sleeping in. "Theah's somethin' weird about dat goil," He thought. He just couldn't understand what it was.  
  
Jack watched as she walked back out of the washroom. She was wearing the same type of shirt she had been before, but it was a light blue one. Her grey, terrycloth pants had wide, somewhat flared legs that covered her heels and fell low on her thin waist, inevitably showing a little of her midriff. Jack found himself unable to take his eyes off of her as she walked over to her designated bunk and lay down, pulling the blanket over her. She smiled a thankful "goodnight" to Jack and quickly fell asleep.  
  
Jack didn't have such an easy time falling asleep. He couldn't get that girl out of his mind. Her voice still lingered in the back of his mind; her strange mannerism, the strange way she dressed. Yet it seemed that the very same things he didn't understand were the things that he couldn't seem to resist.  
  
"Cowboy!"  
  
The next morning came too quickly once Jack had finally drifted off. "Whassamatta wit you?" He mumbled at the voice. "It ain't time ta get up yet, is it?"  
  
"The hell if it isn't." Kloppman said, backhanding Jack's shoulder lightly. "Get up, boy, sell your papes!"  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm comin. Gimme a sec, will ya?" Jack muttered, opening his eyes. He looked towards the usually vacant bunk to his left, watching the girl slowly wake up. He jumped out of his bed, forgetting that he was only wearing his longjohns, and went up to Pip's bunk as she sat up.  
  
"Do ya need any money?" He asked her, not really needing an answer. He knew she probably had plenty of money and wouldn't need to sell.  
  
"No, I should be fine for awhile." She replied, her head heavily nodding and her eyes rolling shut as she was still only half awake.  
  
"You need ta stay an' rest den, I'll be back for ya at noon ta take ya to lunch wid all of us. You can meet everybody den, sound good?" Jack suggested, gently pushing her shoulder, laying her back down on the pillow.  
  
"Okay," she agreed, rolling over and instantly falling back asleep. Jack stayed and stared at her for awhile, admiring the natural beauty that shone through even as she slept. She was just as pretty in daylight as she had been under the moonlight. He was surprised to see that she had a tough build for a girl; her slim, tan arms actually very muscular. Impulsively, he reached out to run his fingers along the smooth surface of her exposed skin. He quickly pulled his hand back when he realized what he was about to do. Shaking his head confusedly, he turned and walked into the washroom to clean up.  
  
As he left he stopped in one more time to check on her. She was still asleep in the same position she had been in before, but she was smiling a little, mumbling something that sounded like "bowling after prom," whatever that was. "She's probably jis' talkin' jibberish or somethin." Jack thought. He quickly turned and started out the door to sell his papes.  
  
Piper woke up a few hours later. She looked at her watch, which she had accidentally left on the night before, and saw that it was about ten. After lying in bed for a few more minutes, she decided that this wasn't nearly comfortable enough to keep her in bed any longer. She sat up and stretched, taking a look around.  
  
When noon rolled around, Jack found himself walking up the staircase to the bunkroom to get Pip. He stopped though, when he heard her singing again.  
  
"There are times I swear I know you're here / When I forget about my fears feeling you, my dear / Watching over me, my hope sees what the future will bring / When you wrap me in your wings and take me /  
  
Where you are / Where you and I will breathe together once again / We'll be dancing in the moonlight just like we used to do / And you'll be smiling back at me / Only then I will be free / When I can be where you are /  
  
And I can see your face / Your kiss I still can taste / Not a memory of age / I see your star shining down on me / And I'd do anything if I could just be right there /  
  
Where you are / Where you and I will breathe together once again / We'll be dancing in the moonlight just like we used to do / And you'll be smiling back at me / Only then will I be free / Then I will be free / So take me where you are /  
  
Baby there are times when selfishly / I'm wishin you were here with me / So I could wipe the tears from your eyes and make you see / That every night while you are dreaming / I'm here to guard you from afar / And any time I feel alone / I close my eyes and dream of where you are /  
  
And we will breathe together once again, baby / We'll be dancing in the moonlight like we used to do / And you'll be smiling back at me / Only then I will be free, then I will be free /  
  
I still believe, / I've got to believe / I will touch you that sweet day / That you take me there, / Where you are."  
  
She gasped as she heard Jack step into the room. She didn't turn around as she greeted him.  
  
"How long have you been standing out there?"  
  
"Honestly?" He answered. "The whole song. It was beautiful. Wheah'd ya loin ta sing like dat?"  
  
"I always have." She whispered, turning around, her face red. This was the first time that Jack had seen her even remotely embarrassed.  
  
"I's sorry. I jis' couldn't interrupt it, I ain't neva hoid dat song befoah."  
  
"It's okay.it's my favorite song." She stood up. "Let's go to lunch. My treat."  
  
Jack smiled. "I couldn't let ya."  
  
"Why?" She asked.  
  
"Cuz.cuz goils ain't supposed to pay fer stuff like dat."  
  
"Oh, really? Let's change the rules, then. Where I'm from, the girl can pay if she wants." She smiled slyly, gleefully brushing past him, walking down the stairs. Jack followed close behind her.  
  
Jack tried to hold in a smile as he studied her from behind. She was wearing strange clothing like she had the last night, but this fashion flattered her even more although it was stranger than last night's skirt and shirt. Her pants were a tan color, but were neatly hemmed to come down to mid-calf. Instead of the back pockets buttoning on the inside like every other pair of men's pants (why was she wearing men's clothes?), there was a flap over the top of the pockets, buttoned that way. Her shirt fit her form well, but this time it had sleeves. They were snug on her arm, and only went just past her elbow. It was a light pink, with the word "Abercrombie" across the back.  
  
He smirked as he saw she was wearing shoes this time. They weren't the usual boots or loafers, like he'd seen; they didn't tie anywhere, the heel and the toe were open, and they had a very thick sole, laced with a thick white thread all around. He smiled at the "flip-flop" noise they made as she walked.  
  
She turned around as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "What are you smiling at now?" She asked.  
  
"Yer shoes."  
  
"Shut up!" She played, then pulling him into a full-blown headlock. "These are my favorite sandals!"  
  
Jack gasped for air, partially because her grip was choking him, and partially because he was laughing so hard. He hadn't laughed like that for a long time. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" he gasped as she laughed and then let go.  
  
"You remind me of my friend back home." She smiled at him.  
  
"Is dat so?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
They walked in silence the rest of the way, as Jack noticed that Pip seemed to be frantically taking in everything in her range of sight like she'd never see it again. Her eyes darted around quickly, sometimes settling on the people, on the streets, on the buildings. He wondered how someone could be so in awe at the things he saw day in and day out. He watched her as her eyes brightened with every inch of the city she took in. His spine tingled as he saw how happy she was; and he found himself sprouting as big a smile as hers. It gave him a strange thrill to see her overwhelmed with happiness.  
  
Almost too quickly, they reached the door to Tibby's. On sudden impulse, Jack raced Piper to the door and opened it for her before she could open it herself. He smiled cockily at her as she rolled her eyes jokingly and gave him a smirk.  
  
Jack saw all the Newsies look up and stop what they were doing when Piper walked into the room.  
  
"Fellas," Jack said, standing next to Pip. "Dis is me new pal, Pip."  
  
The room still stood silent.  
  
"Okay, she'll be stayin' at the Lodgin' House fer awhile, till she finds someplace ta stay."  
  
Silence still.  
  
"What, ya deaf er somethin? Y'could at least say 'hello.'" Jack said, becoming frustrated at his fellow newsies for acting like a bunch of dumbasses in front of Pip.  
  
"It's okay, Jack." Pip remarked, smiling a little too sweetly. "It did take you a minute or two to find words when you first met me, if you remember."  
  
Jack cringed as he took a blow to his pride. He narrowed his eyes at her in defense.  
  
She smiled brilliantly and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. Jack's heart softened. He couldn't stay mad at her for more than five seconds. What was happening to him? He must have been going out of his mind; or perhaps it was just lack of sleep-either way he'd never acted like this before.  
  
Finally the group livened up again, "heya's" and "hello's" arose from the tables of Newsies.  
  
"So Cowboy, ya gonna siddown er what?" One boy yelled at Jack. Jack glanced at the boy, grabbed Pip by the arm and walked over to the table.  
  
"So Pip." He said as she nodded. "This is Race, David, Snoddy, Kid Blink, and Crutchy."  
  
"Nice to meet you." She grinned, sitting down at an open spot a the table.  
  
"So, uh, Pip, wheah ya from?" Snoddy questioned.  
  
"California." She replied.  
  
"How old ah'ya?" Race cut in.  
  
"18, how old are you?"  
  
"18."  
  
"Why's ya hair so short?" Another asked.  
  
"It just is." She answered, smiling.  
  
"Heya, boys, don't interrogate'er or nothin." Jack said sarcastically. "Ya'd think we was the Bulls er'somethin, the way youse all askin' all dese questions."  
  
"Sorry, we'se jis' curious." Kid Blink answered. Jack smiled and bobbed his head in understanding. He knew they were curious. He was just as curious himself, but couldn't bring himself to put the words through his mouth the right way. He knew why they were so curious. She was not only gorgeous (wonder who her mother was?), but she was so mysterious.when he studied her, he pictured a breeze on a cool night: the way she laughed; her singsong way of speaking; the oddly fascinating way she was; her brilliant smile; the way she seemed to just breeze around in a happy whir of mystery. 


	4. Truth and Reflection

Later that night, as most of the newsies had joined in on a poker game, Piper sat on her bunk, thinking. Thinking about this place, about this time; about.Jack. As much as she tried not to, her mind kept slipping back to him. Back to his face, his smile; the way he always gave her those cute sideways smiles when he joked around with her; the way he looked at her when he didn't think she was looking; the way his spirit shown wildly through his eyes; just.him.  
  
And then she remembered that her entire existence in this place was a lie. They didn't know where she was really from; when she was from. Their entire relationship was and probably always would be based on a lie. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be in 2000, touring with an orchestra in Europe. She should be in Windsor right now, not sitting on a bunk in a Lodging House-much less in the year 1900. This couldn't be where she belonged.  
  
She didn't belong here but this was the place she felt the most at home, the only place she'd ever felt wanted. But she could never tell them; never tell Jack-where she was really from. He would despise her, if not think she was crazy. He'd hate her for lying to him.  
  
"Pip-" Jack's voice sliced her thoughts, startling her so much she jumped at the sound. Jack laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean ta startle ya."  
  
"It's okay." Piper answered, still a little distraught. I was just thinking."  
  
Jack looked at her. "About what?" He sat down on the bunk next to her.  
  
"Just about-about here. About you guys.about you." The last phrase slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. She immediately regretted not just saying "Nothing," and leaving it at that.  
  
"I won't ask." Jack couldn't help but smile-the words that had just come out of her mouth seemed to have such an effect on him. "But I did want you ta know dat you talk in yer sleep."  
  
Piper's face became blank. "Oh god, what did I say?" She prayed she hadn't said anything to give away her "secret" or she'd have a lot of explaining to do.  
  
"Well, it sounded kinda like 'bowlin' afta prom' or somethin' like dat.it was mostly jis jibberish."  
  
Piper instantly burst out in a fit of giggles, remembering how, in fact, she and her friends had gone bowling after her senior prom, dresses and all. It had been one of the best times she'd had with her friends.  
  
"What'a ya laughin' at?" Jack asked, looking a little hurt.  
  
"No, not you!" Piper laughed. "I, uh.just remembered the dream that I had, that's all. It was kind of funny."  
  
"Oh." Jack said. "Well, um, so do ya miss yer fam'ly an' friends an' stuff? I mean, since ya kinda.ended up here?"  
  
Pip smiled. "Yeah, I miss my friends every second I'm not with them.as for my family, unfortunately I can't say the same. My mother was the only one I got along with.my father and sister are too different from me; our personalities and values clashed. But yeah, I loved my friends, I miss them terribly."  
  
"No guy er' nothin?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't notice how red his face was turning.  
  
"Nope, we didn't part too well. It's a long story I don't care to tell." She cringed at the thought. "He didn't get along with my friends at all, so he tried to keep me away from them.one thing led to another and I realized we just weren't meant for each other."  
  
"Oh." Jack said, playing with his fingers. "I'm sorry."  
  
Pip touched his hand to stop him from fidgeting and looked into his hazel eyes. "I'm not. It was time for me to move on to bigger and better things."  
  
Her actions gave Jack a strange, intense chill of happiness. "Well I'm happy ta hear dat." He smiled widely as he couldn't keep it in anymore. He was puzzled at this sudden 'metamorphosis' he went through the second he looked at her. He felt like a new person completely; he felt like he owned the world when she looked at him that way.  
  
"Looks like they're all getting to bed.we probably should too." Pip said, looking away from Jack.  
  
"Yeah." Jack stood up and halfheartedly walked to his bunk. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she pulled her suitcase out and took some clothes from it and proceeded to the washroom to change. He smiled as he wondered how someone could keep track of all those clothes.  
  
When she walked back out, he once again found himself unable to take his eyes off of her. Her 'tank top' as she had called it, lay just below her ribcage, exposing her skinny midriff and the top of her hips as the mid- calf terrycloth loungers slid low on her waist.  
  
Pip felt someone looking at her and turned around. She saw Jack quickly close his eyes, pretending to be asleep. "What a bad faker," She thought and laughed. She climbed into her bunk and rolled over, closing her eyes.  
  
Jack Kelly tossed and turned into the night, unable to forget; the voice haunted him; it seemed to follow him wherever he went, whatever he did. He found himself deeply embossed in a dream. He had been wandering the streets in the darkness again; over and over he heard the voice rise up over the buildings, over the moon and the sun and everything under the sky. She appeared out of thin air, her beautiful voice emitting a eerie melody with words he couldn't understand. When she approached him, her song changed. A light, emotional melody arose from her throat as she sang. He watched as she brought her hand up to touch his heart. The second he felt her fingers touch his body, he jerked awake, finding himself sitting upright in a cold sweat. It was then he heard the voice; the same voice that followed him; the same voice he couldn't forget.Pip's voice. He looked to her bunk and saw that she wasn't there.  
  
Jack climbed off of his bunk and started towards the open door that led downstairs and outside. He silently walked out and stood just inside the door, listening carefully to every word that came from her mouth:  
  
"When I'm lost in the rain/ In your eyes I know / I'll find the light to light my way / When I'm scared, losing ground / When my world is going crazy / You can turn it all around / And when I'm down you're there / Pushing me to the top / You're always there giving me all you got /  
  
For a shield from the storm / For a friend / For a love to keep me safe and warm / I turn to you / For the strength to be strong / For the will to carry on / For everything you do / For everything that's true / I turn to you / I turn to you /  
  
When I lose the will to win / I just reach for you / And I can reach the sky again / I can do anything / 'Cuz your love is so amazing / Cuz your love inspires me/ And when I need a friend you're always on my side / Giving me faith, taking me through the night /  
  
For a shield from the storm / For a friend/ For a love to keep me safe and warm / I turn to you / For the strength to be strong / For the will to carry on / For everything you do / For everything that's true / I turn to you / I turn to you /  
  
For the arms to be my shelter / Through all the rain / For truth that will never change / For someone to lean on / For a heart I can rely on through anything / For that one who I can run to /  
  
For a shield from the storm / For a friend / For a love to keep me safe and warm / I turn to you / For the strength to be strong / For the will to carry on / For everything you do / For everything that's true / I turn to you / I turn to you / I turn.to you /  
  
Jack held his breath as she began to quietly speak, her voice wavering with every word.  
  
"God, you have to be up there.I mean, don't get me wrong-I love it here.but.I just, I have my friends to take care of back home-maybe you could help me out a little? Let them know how much I love them.give Jen a hug for me, she's gotta need it right about now; at least let them know where I am.and when I am.let them know I'm safe and being taken care of, even if it's not in the year 2000." She looked up as she heard voices to the right of her. She snapped her head in the direction of the voices, when she felt an all too familiar person embracing her in a bear hug.  
  
Jack watched as the girl ran up to Pip and grabbed her, hugging her tightly. He listened carefully to their conversation, all the while being careful not to give his presence away.  
  
"James!" The girl squealed. "God, where have you been?"  
  
"Here?" Pip said excitedly. "How the hell did you get here?"  
  
"Don't ask me, ask Jeanne.she's the one who convinced us all to see that psycho woman." The girl replied.  
  
Pip embraced the girl again. "Oh, James, I miss you!"  
  
Jack noticed another figure walking out of the shadows.  
  
"Piper Jamison!" The red-head yelled, "It's about damn time we found you! Where the fuck are we?"  
  
"Jeanne!" Pip squealed, hugging her red-headed friend. "As far as I know, we're in New York City, 1900. It'll change a bit over the next 100 years, huh?"  
  
"Hell yeah."  
  
"Piper!"  
  
Another figure. A male this time. Jack watched as more friends emerged from the shadows of the streets. He stared in awe at Piper as she interacted with them, laughing, running, and talking with her friends. He smiled a bit as he noticed they were all dressed in a similar fashion: the pants, shoes, just the way they carried themselves. He felt that familiar chill running up and down his spine again as he watched her. Suddenly his mind slipped back to something she had said earlier: ".even if it's not in the year 2000.New York City 1900. It'll change a bit over the next 100 years."  
  
He wanted to pound his head against the wall. Why had it taken him so long to see it? He didn't actually want to believe something like this, but she was standing right there, wasn't she? He had all the evidence right in front of him. He finally saw what he had been striving to see since that first night he met her. "It's better left unsaid." She had told him. God, it all made sense now. Everything.  
  
An hour had passed and Jack found himself trying hard not to collapse from exhaust in the doorway. He looked up and saw Pip in the middle of a tearful good-bye with all of her friends, then standing alone as they walked back into the shadows. Jack silently tiptoed back up to his bunk, making sure to look dead asleep when Pip came back in. He didn't have to wait that long, however. He was out the second his head hit the pillow.  
  
Two hours later, Jack awoke from what had turned out to be a very restless sleep. He looked to his left and saw that Pip hadn't come back yet. He slipped out of his bunk again, walking down the stairs and out the door to search for her.  
  
When he found her, she was sitting on the bottom step outside, fast asleep. Jack quickly scooped her up into his arms and carried her upstairs, placing her in her bunk and tucking her in. Before he left her to sleep, he kissed her forehead and whispered quietly, "I won't tell, I promise." 


	5. Lost End

"That, my friend, is what the experts like to call 'love.'" Denton replied.  
  
Jack crossed the floor, then looking out the window to the streets below. It had been a week since he found out Pip's little 'secret,' and he eventually found himself at Denton's apartment, going over his latest girl problems.  
  
"Love?" Jack asked, bewildered. "I mean, maybe I like'er, but I neva t'ought about love befoah."  
  
"It's all there, Jack. The chill that runs through your spine when you see her, how you can't help but smile when she smiles. Trust me, Jack. I've been through my share of love before."  
  
"So what am I supposed ta do about it, Denton? I mean, she ain't gonna stick around foreva, and she don't belong wid streetrats like us. Like me." Jack replied. "I don't even know if I wanna be in love."  
  
"You can't stop it from coming, Kelly." Denton replied. He looked at his pocketwatch. "Oh, no. I'd better see you out, Jack. I have a meeting to get to."  
  
Jack wandered the streets all day contemplating his next move.  
  
"And I can see your face, your kiss I still can taste." Jack shook his head. The second he seemed to have directed his thoughts to something other than Pip, he was singing that song, the duet she had been teaching him-her favorite song. How did she do it? She seemed to haunt him; she always seemed to be in the back of his mind; singing, smiling; anything. She was just.there.  
  
There in the back of his mind; there in his dreams; there in everything he saw.  
  
"Oomph!"  
  
"Sorry," Jack mumbled as he accidentaly ran into someone on his way up the stairs to the bunkroom. He matched his gaze with the person. Suddenly he couldn't see past the eyes; past those lips turning upwards into a beautiful smile; past her beautiful face. "Pip!"  
  
"Happy to see me, Kelly?" Pip joked, her eyes lighting up with laughter.  
  
"As always, Miss." Jack smiled back.  
  
"What were you thinking about so diligently?" She asked curiously.  
  
Jack shrugged.  
  
"Oh, come on. It's not like you don't tell me everything else anyway. You've been practically my brother since a week and a half ago." She crossed her arms as she followed Jack up to the bunkroom. She sat on his bunk, awaiting an answer. "Tell me!" She playfully whined.  
  
"Okay, okay. Jis' don't say nothin' about it, okay? I gotta talk ta ya about somethin' anyway." Jack plopped himself next to her on his bunk.  
  
"I'm ready when you are." She replied, smiling. Piper closed her eyes, savoring the look he had just given her. A smile spread across her face as she saw that cute sideways smile Jack always gave her when he was nervous. "What is it, Jack?"  
  
"Well, I been doin' some thinkin, and.and.I kinda started t'inkin dat I'm in love."  
  
Piper looked at him through wide eyes. She couldn't help but feel the pang of jealousy bolt through her body. "And who is the lucky girl?" She asked, almost not wanting to know. Not unless it was her. "God, I can't lose this, not now." She pleaded silently as Jack looked at her.  
  
"It's.um.it's."  
  
"Jack!" Race yelled, busting through the doorway at an incredible speed. "Jack, ya gotta git down heah! Ya gotta." He panted. "Ya gotta get down heah, deah's some guy, says he wants ta talk to ya.I would go Jack, I really would."  
  
"Alright, I'm comin'." Jack replied, hopping off the bunk. "I'll talk to ya later, okay?" He yelled to Piper as he ran out the door.  
  
"Sure." Piper whispered as she lay down on his bunk, suddenly sleepy.  
  
When Piper woke up, she wasn't in Jack's bunk. She turned over. She wasn't in any bunk at all. Her eyes popped open. She was sleeping in her own bed, in her room. Her suitcases were lying askew on the floor next to her bed. She sat up in a panic.  
  
"How the.?" Piper wondered aloud. Instantly her head began to throb. "This couldn't have been a dream." Her heart sank. "No." She cried as she buried her face into the fluffy pillow. "Let me go back!"  
  
Weeks later, Piper walked the quiet, empty streets of her Beverly Hills neighborhood. She closed her eyes, longing for the quiet, empty streets of Manhattan, where she had felt so at home; she had felt so wanted. She found herself humming a soft, low tune, then adding the lyrics to the melody: "There are times I swear I know you're here / When I forget about my fears, feeling you my dear / Watching over me, my heart sees / What the future will bring when you wrap me in your wings / And take me /  
  
Where you are, / Where you and I will breathe together once again / We'll be dancing in the moonlight just like we used to do / And you'll be smiling back at me / Only then will I be free-when I can be / Where you are."  
  
"And I can see your face, your kiss I still can taste, not a memory of age." Piper wanted Jack with her so badly she could hear his voice, rising above the time barrier. She could picture him there with her, smiling and singing along with her as they walked. She closed her eyes, joining in with his part.  
  
"I see your star shining down on me, and I'll do anything if I could just be-" Pip stopped short as she heard Jack singing so clearly now that it startled her. Then she felt the hand take hers. She opened her eyes, suddenly unable to look past the sharp, hazel eyes; the lips turning upwards into a sweet sideways smile. "Jack?" She managed to whisper.  
  
"Ya happy ta see me Pip?" He laughed. She collided with him in a hug, so content to be in his arms that she couldn't find words.  
  
"Why-" She choked out.  
  
"I told ya I'd talk to ya later, didn't I?" He smiled. "Besides, I never got ta tell ya dat I love you."  
  
Pip hugged him tighter. She couldn't find words to express the emotion bubbling up in her heart. She had waited a month and a half-and a hundred years-for him to say that to her.  
  
"I love you," She whispered, "God I love you."  
  
Jack held her tight and kissed her forehead. "Glad ta hear it."  
  
"How did you know-?"  
  
"I known eva since I saw ya outside dat one night, talkin' ta God, den your friends came.I jis' figured it out from deah.I just ain't neva said nothin'."  
  
"But how did you get here-"  
  
Jack smiled and put a finger to her lips, shushing her.  
  
"I hoid from a good friend'a mine once: It's betta left unsaid." 


End file.
